Maine police cracking down on vehicles registered out of state

Monday

Dec 29, 2008 at 3:15 AMDec 29, 2008 at 10:13 AM

By JOSH ROSENSON

KITTERY, Maine — When the Town Council realized in 2003 that residents were keeping their vehicles registered in other states, primarily New Hampshire, and therefore costing the town significant revenue, it adopted a zero-tolerance policy.

If a person moves from out of state to Maine, the individual is required by law to register any vehicles parked, garaged or maintained in Maine within 30 days. Those exempt from the law are active-duty military personnel and full-time students attending schools and colleges in state.

Kittery Police Sgt. Charles Denault began work on motor vehicle registration violations with Berwick Police Department in 1985. He continued that work when he joined the Kittery Police Department in 1987.

In 2003, Denault conducted a study using the average state income tax paid to the state — multiplied by the number of vehicle registration violations denoting someone's failure to register in state — and determined Kittery was losing about $1.6 million in revenue a year as a result. Denault said there are 27 Maine towns that border New Hampshire, and at an estimated $1 million a town, it is costing the state about $27 million a year.

"It affects so much of our economy, from simple registration and licensing fees to sales tax, all the way up to the loss of millions of dollars of income tax as a result of these people evading registration fees and excise tax," Denault said.

He also said he found it ironic the recently proposed $80 million in cuts by Gov. John E. Baldacci — $27 million of which affect schools — lines up with his estimate of how much revenue the state is losing. He added it's not only a violation, but it's also about "fairness and equity."

Through Dec. 9, Kittery had issued 82 violations, a number far surpassing the total of other area towns, including the Berwicks and Eliot.

The Maine Violations Bureau reported 104 violations statewide for evasion of registration fees and excise tax, and 19 failures to register a vehicle after 30 days of establishing residency and under 150 days for the 2008 fiscal year.

The violation carries with it a penalty of $911 per day, Denault said.

When Denault issues a violation, individuals are given five business days to come to the Police Station to show they have a Maine license and registration. If they do not prove license and registration, they will face additional summons, Denault said.

Denault said in some cases extensions may be granted, and he will work in court with those who comply immediately.

Berwick, South Berwick and North Berwick police do not have a zero-tolerance policy like Kittery; rather, they first issue warnings and give individuals 30 days to comply.

Denise Dunn, administrative assistant for Berwick Police Department, said only a couple of violations have been issued this year.

After a warning is issued, Dunn said, "Usually, they comply or show proof why they don't have to."

Police in Berwick respond to this issue based on reports from residents.

"If somebody calls in, we'll go to that residence. It is so time-consuming, we don't have someone specifically set up for that job," she said.

Lt. Chris Burbank of South Berwick Police Department said there have been no violations issued this year. He said the department has ongoing enforcement and, two times a year, will embark on an aggressive campaign.

Burbank said the issue his town faces is frequent turnover at rental properties. As for the department being aware of vehicles registered out of state, he said officers on the midnight shift will notice vehicles, or people will make reports to police.

Burbank said a June story in Foster's also helped to make people aware of the issue and to be in compliance.

"Between the warning cards and the story, we have found a high compliance rate," he said.

North Berwick police could not pull its number of vehicle registration violations this year, but Chief Stephen Peasley estimated the number to be around 10.

"We've been pretty lucky getting people to comply. It might be a few more than (10 violations), but it's not a huge amount. We warn the registered owner to make them aware," Peasley said, noting the owner is then given 30 days to be in compliance. "If it doesn't get registered, we do issue a summons."

Like the other towns, Peasley said vehicles are noticed by patrol, but no one is assigned to the task.

"The ultimate goal is to get them to register the vehicle," he said.

Denault said in Kittery it's difficult to get voluntary compliance, which is part of the reason the town moved to the zero-tolerance policy.

"If Maine could turn the heat up, and uniformly enforce it across the board, we wouldn't be faced with the level of budget deficits we currently (face)," Denault said.

Eliot Police Chief Ted Short said things are done similarly in his jurisdiction as in the Berwicks. Police will issue warnings, and, if people do not comply within 30 days, a summons is issued.

"As far as summons go, I don't think we wrote any summons for that violation this year," he said.

Short said police received three reports of vehicles not being registered in Maine, the owners were given warnings and each complied within 30 days.

"Using a little bit of discretion and getting these people to comply with registration requirements in Maine is the bottom line," Short said.

Primarily, information is received through resident complaints, he said.

Short said the department expects a new officer on board come August, and, at that point, Short would like to revisit the issue to see what can be done to gain more compliance.

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